Lantern dedicated to Arsène Alexandre

In the October 1874 issue of Paris à l’eau-forte, the editor, Richard Lesclide, described visiting Guérard’s studio: "There were lanterns on the tables, on the mantle, on the bed; they were on the floor and hanging from the easel, the ceiling, and the walls; there was one in the artist’s pocket and one in his hand, the one that had fallen on my head." In one of his most distinctive and personal projects, Guérard made drawings of each of his lanterns (for the drawing preparatory to this print see: TR.123.1.2025) with an eye to publish them as etchings. In focusing his attention on such modest, even damaged objects, Guérard engaged in the realist tradition of his time as well as art-historical precedents. The text accompanying the print describes this lantern as one that "could have been taken down from the walls of a farm by Greuze or an interior by Rembrandt." It concludes, "In truth, this lantern is an entire poem." Later impressions of the etching are dedicated to the art critic Arsène Alexandre.